Assumptions Without Foundations

Assuming can work in our favor.  When I assume a Cigar Bar will be a good experience based upon the testimonials of trusted friends, and the Manager of a favorite Cigar Store, I will very likely be making a correct assumption.  The same applies to a restaurant, a specialty store, a vacation destination, a line of shoes, and the list goes on and on.  When we base an assumption on collected information and the testimonies of those who have ‘been there before’ we are rarely disappointed.

But assuming something to be so when we have no corroborating testimonials and no personal experience can lead to incorrect assumptions, and a disappointing result.  Case in point:  I presented a program recently which required the use of PowerPoint.  I developed the presentation in my office on my desktop computer. I based upon the presentation on a PowerPoint strategy I have used successfully many times in years past.

With a black background in the slides, white text, and special words highlighted in red, the message, coupled with slow transitions, fading in and out from black, are impactful.  I knew the presentation cold so looking at the slides was unnecessary, and this adds to the impact. But when at the venue, what if when the lights are brought low, there remains indirect light from two sources which cannot be turned off, and the ambient glare from the sunlight filtered through the blinds further brightens a ‘dimmed’ room?

I’ll tell you ‘what if’ . . .

The black background appears a bit washed out and the white text is readable, but not with impactful clarity.  Further, the red, highlighted text is legible, but barely readable.  This means that even though I knew the presentation cold, the impact of the slides had been all but eliminated.  The red, highlighted text which held special meaning appeared to be dim holes in the white text, and I was forced to read many of the slides which should have been a powerful backdrop to my remarks.

In short, my presentation changed from well-rehearsed, seamless, and impactful to ‘rehearsed improv’, hardly seamless, and lacking impact.  Although the presentation was very well received overall, and should be considered a success, one comment was, “I don’t like it when presenters read slides to me.”  Yikes!  Lesson learned . . . again.

When presenting new material, presenting in a new space, presenting in a familiar space but at a different time of day, presenting with new technology, someone else’s equipment, etc., do a dress rehearsal in advance if possible.  Do not assume the perfection you crafted in your office will follow through to the venue.  When you do, you build an assumption without a foundation.

Fearlessly,

JD

Shared Experience

Recently, I received a landmark in my career as an author when the local chapter of a national book club named my latest book (Be Known for Your D.E.E.D.S.) as their selection of the month!  A HUGE honor!  To make the honor even more impactful I was invited to speak at their next meeting.  The great feeling just kept getting better!

Upon arriving at the venue (a restaurant) it rapidly became apparent the ambient noise level was going to be very high outside the reserved private room, and presenting a 30-minute program would be quite a challenge.  At this point in the story it would be easy to go on about the noise and the resulting difficulties, but let's change lanes and look at this from the perspective of the audience.

Too often, we, as speakers, tell of the drama we encounter when a venue, the material, or the audience are not set up perfectly for our style or message.  And those tales can be instructive, but rarely do we read (or hear) about the equally difficult challenge faced by the audience.  In this case, they were welcoming a speaker into a noisy space which necessitated they adjust their own ease and comfort to get the most out of the program.

My wife, Denise, had traveled with me and she commiserated with the club's members.  In so doing, she became a bridge to their view, and helped me to have a more balanced takeaway of what had just transpired.  Having this knowledge has me re-thinking experiential encounters.  Too often we only consider one perspective...our own.  Far fewer times do we even acknowledge that a speaking engagement, a graduation ceremony, a school play, a book signing, or other analogous gatherings have two sets of participants; those on stage and those in the audience.

In a very real sense both are dealing with the same experience.  For my moment in the sun as an author relishing the moment of recognition it was a noisy venue with wait-staff interruptions.  For the local members of the book club, guess what?  It was a noisy venue with wait-staff interruptions!  We both were immersed in an environment not in the least conducive to the planned program.

How often is it the case with so much else in life? The atmosphere of the restaurant is all wrong, there's no shade at the tennis match, the flight was delayed for mechanical reasons, etc.  We must try to get outside our own selves and attempt the viewpoint of others.  When we do we will draw closer to that place of understanding; that place of walking in the shoes of our brother or sister.  What could have been a disaster became a common bonding experience because each party realized we were united in the experience.  As a result, it was an unqualified success and both parties gained a fresh perspective about each other, and on the shared experience.

Fearlessly,
JD

Back In The Saddle

Last blog - May 2013.  Wow, what a long time in between meaningful correspondence!  It's good to be back in the saddle.

Life is surely made up of surprises, and in the life of someone with a passion for speaking there is always, ALWAYS, new material.  Take my life in between the last blog and this one, for example.  When last I penned this blog I was fresh from an amazing trip to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, separated from my second wife, working very long hours in an inside sales job, speaking infrequently at best, and my second book was just a few months old.

Today,  I am preparing for a return trip to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia this coming May, am remarried, and loving life with the very special lady with whom I hope to spend the rest of my life!  I am no longer with the company for which I worked the inside sales job, having only recently left to concentrate on writing and speaking (Hallelujah!).  Prior to my resignation, I had become a trusted voice for the company and hardly went a week without being in front of an audience (need another Hallelujah! on that...) which broadened my audience as well as potential employers of my talent.

My second book, 'Be Known For Your D.E.E.D.S.', has been picked up by The Literary Club as the May Selection for their Atlanta Chapter, and I will be speaking at their National Conference in August!  Feel free to sprinkle in the Hallelujahs as you read :)  Yes, much has changed!  Finally, I am still working through my first novel, Jonny Pleasant. 'Jonny' has been with me since 1992. He came to light as a short story 20+ years ago, and has been growing and developing since.

A lot happens in the in-between!  It's like the heartfelt story we have heard about 'the dash'.  Most often the dash is told during someone's memorial service.  The dash on a grave marker separates the date of birth and the date of the person's death.  As told, the dash is representative of the life lived by the deceased, and the relevance to the congregation is expressed as a challenge to make 'the dash' (life yet to be lived) count for something.

In between May of 2013 and today (April 2d, 2014), I have experienced the great highs of preaching in St. Lucia and getting married.  I have also lived through the great lows of seemingly endless 80-hour work weeks and divorce.  All around me have been friends, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers living out their own in-between moments, and all of us are either in the saddle or looking forward to the day when we ride yet again!

Being in the saddle is that period of our lives when it all seems to have come together.  That period may be brief, and it may endure for many years.  All we can do is ride, make the best decisions we can given the information at the time, and hope to stay on the horse!  If by some chance we find ourselves walking instead of riding, then let us not despair of the journey on foot.  It is a different perspective to be sure, but one with lessons from which we can learn if we pay attention, and then mount up to ride again.

I leave you today with this blessing:  "May your time in the saddle point to the sunset knowing your in-between was fruitful and the dash was better than you planned."

Fearlessly,
JD

Where Fearless Is The Norm

I have had many unique speaking opportunities in my life.  There was the time I was thrust in front of the camera with no warning, script, or time for rehearsal to do a commercial spot.  On another occasion, and with plenty of rehearsal, I led a Fearless Speaker Clinic for children ages 5 to 16 for 2 hours, and losing the audience’s attention was not an option!

But I have to say the most unique opportunities have come because of my life as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 2002 I became a card-carrying licensed Minister under the apostolic covering of Foundations International Ministries (FIM) thanks in no small part to an initial referral from my brother in Christ, Steve Brown.  Just 18 months later I was part of FIM’s delegation to the All Nations Conference of Ministers in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Founders of FIM, Rob and Melinda Brondell, are an amazing couple who had apparently ‘preached’ me up to the South African Host Committee.  Two days before leaving a call from Rob let me know that after landing I would have time to shower before preaching that night.  Except that I had not so much as led a Bible Study in more than 25 years I was ready… not!  Turns out I was not only preaching, but closing a revival.  A revival.  In Africa. No pressure!

Fast forward 10 years.  In February of this year I got a call to deliver a word – except this time the call came through Sisters in Harmony, founded by Edmund Herman.  The call was not to preach but to participate in an Author’s Workshop and Roundtable with my second book, Be Known for Your D.E.E.D.S., one of the featured texts.  The location for the workshop and roundtable?  Rodney Bay in St. Lucia, West Indies!  Can I have an amen on that?!

It was just a few weeks later on 6 March that Ed asked if I would be willing to preach on a Sunday during our stay on the island.  My thought?  Are you kidding me? Absolutely, I want to preach in St. Lucia!

Talk about unique opportunities?  Instead let’s talk about unique funds.  I didn’t have the money to go!  All available cash was already committed to bills, a few repairs to my classic ’95 Bronco, and being smart about saving and spending.  So ‘want to go’ was very much tempered by ‘money to go’ and ‘money’ was winning, so to speak.

My prayers about the opportunity became reason sessions as I reasoned through whether or not this was in fact a call of God to preach in St. Lucia, or just an invite from well-intentioned peers. Then I went to my friend Steve Brown’s house for coffee.  Yep, the same Steve Brown who referred me to Rob and Melinda Brondell in 2002.

I could only cover my face as tears streamed down my face when Steve handed me a check for an amount that caused me to no longer question Who was inviting me, or why I was to go.  When you see the love of God manifest so clearly, emotions will get the better of you! I was being called to St. Lucia and without doubt it was God doing the calling.  Not unlike Cape Town in 2003, I would stand in front of a congregation with whom I had no prior connection.  The Pastor, whom I had never met before, gave me the mic to speak a word of great encouragement to his congregation.

Two days later I would preach to another congregation, and in between I would be invited to attend a Prayer Meeting, and once there – without advance notice – be asked to lead the meeting.  Three unique speaking opportunities all to audiences I did not know before stepping in front of them.  All ordained by God to speak His Word to those He loves so very, very much.

When blessed to represent the Christian faith, in the pulpit, at a prayer meeting, in a Bible study or some other venue, the responsibility to disseminate the truth of Scripture is not to be taken lightly or ill-advisedly.  And concerns about adequate time to prepare can be filed away!  I had started developing a lengthy discourse on paper which would have become the foundation for a few sermons – until the Lord had me abandon the project, and leave the work behind.

When the Lord calls you go where you are led to go, stay where you are led to stay, speak where you are led to speak, and say what you are given to say.  And for my brothers and sisters in Christ you’ll get a kick out of the following:

The airfare to St. Lucia was not booked in March, well in advance of the 8 May departure.  No, airfare was booked on 7 May, hardly in advance of the 8 May departure.  Knowing Who was calling had me prepared to go to the airport without a ticket because I knew God had it under control, and, after all ... I was headed to St. Lucia.  Crazy?  Not really.  Just unafraid to be a Disciple.

 

You see, in this realm of being a mouthpiece for the one, true Living God - fearless is the norm.

Fearlessly,

JD

Speaking with Eternity on the Line

Most of the speaking opportunities with which I’ve been blessed have been before secular audiences.  There is always an uplifting theme, this is the crux of my messages after all, but a declaration of my faith in God is typically not mentioned.

When I tell audiences, “You can be better than you’ve been, and do more than you’ve done,” it is sometimes received as an affront to their character, accomplishments, education, or life’s journey, but that is never my intent.  As I continue to deliver my remarks all audience members come to an understanding that their lives are meant to count for something larger than a job, career, keeping a roof overhead, or staying in shape through diet and exercise.

In a purely secular (ecumenical? humanistic?) setting everyone can appreciate the question I asked back in 2008, “Why am I here?”  Certainly most have pondered, if only for a moment, that age-old question of our existence on this earth.  What I convey to all audiences is the truth that this question has an answer, and we can know it…with certainty.

In my book, ‘Be Known for Your D.E.E.D.S.’ I relate my own progression through the truth of unique existence, inherent design, and specific passion.  There is a certain ignorance in society (and some societies) when it comes to God’s every day work in our lives.  Ignorance, by the way, is not a bad word; neither is it an insult.  It is a statement suggesting lack of knowledge in a given subject area.

I am bold enough to declare that I possess a rudimentary understanding of God’s love for us, and this knowledge has opened my eyes to, among other things, how blessed we are in the U.S., how amazing the earth’s distance from the sun really is, mankind’s dominion, and why the cycle of life on this planet ensures our continued existence.

When called upon to speak in churches, or to audiences comprised mostly of Christians, I am able to swing for the fences, to coin a phrase.  I can get to the heart of the matter, and express the Father’s will concerning the ‘why’ of our being, and further His agenda for the building of His kingdom (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…).

‘Be better than you’ve been, and do more than you’ve done’, finds its home in the hearts of men and women who embrace the big picture of life, and the very uniqueness of their own lives.  Minds begin opening to the truth of unique, inherent design when I state the very simple fact, “There’s a reason there aren’t six billion doctors on the planet. We don’t all want to be doctors.”

Speaking with eternity on the line means I will convey God’s truth about our lives, and the importance of living for a purpose beyond our immediate needs.  The folks who adhere to the humanitarian aspects of other faiths, volunteer for philanthropic causes, or earnestly try to ‘pay it forward’ each day, are modeling that piece of God He has provided, though often are unaware of its source.

What I present to audiences is the truth God has blessed me to know, to live, and to share.  He opens doors for me to enter in with the message of higher calling, higher achievement, and higher living.  Destiny is on my lips for all to hear.  I do not hide my faith in Christ.  I do not shrink from being fully persuaded faith in Christ alone is the key to receive all this life, and the one to come, has to offer.

I speak knowing eternity is on the line.

Fearlessly,

JD

The Challenge Before Us

What an interesting and exciting time to be a Speaker!  We have the singular most marketable skill in a world ruled by communication - the ability to address an audience, to hold their attention, and to convey a message.  But what is the message YOU wish to convey?

For those of you who desire the stage as a professional Speaker please remember to whom much is given, much is required.  When you step in front of an audience of any size you do so as a de facto expert.  If you are speaking to a local civic group about real estate, your words carry weight and people may make a decision to buy, sell, debate, or stay out of the market based on nothing more than what you say during that twenty or so minutes.

The same applies to virtually any other topic.  Anthony Robbins' success today is built upon the foundation of information he taught years ago when he first came to be known as a thought leader in his own right.  Your success in the future will likewise be built upon the message or messages you deliver.  And remember, to your audiences the fact that you command the stage elevates you in their eyes to the position of expert.

The message which I am truly blessed to share with audiences has universal application.  Every person on the planet can and should find out the reason for which they were born.  We all have the opportunity to live lives of great meaning and significance when we do.  Ultimately, as a Christian and a Minister, I believe a life of great meaning and significance finds its only true and lasting fulfillment through faith in Jesus Christ.

That said, it is important within the diligence and steadfastness of my faith that I frame the message in terms to which everyone can relate no matter if they self-identify as Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or profess no faith at all.  When I speak in a secular setting I am not preaching to win converts as much as I am disseminating a truth of Scripture which applies to all.

But, in a sense, I am preaching to win converts, and every professional Speaker is as well.  Our very success depends in no small measure upon winning public opinion within our sphere of influence as a thought leader.  Take for example the plethora of personal success systems.  There are countless books, CDs, and DVDs on the market aimed at pleasing the 'disciples' of Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, or Les Brown to name only three.  In every industry and market segment there are thought leaders who have followings.  And so it goes with you as well.

If your message does not have universal application as mine does, you should yet frame it for as large an audience as possible.  However, please endeavor to never lose sight of your audience's need to be treated honestly and with the utmost respect.  You hold great responsibility when you hold the microphone.  You are an expert, after all.  The challenge before us as Speakers is to honor the sacred trust between Speaker and Audience, and to seek their betterment at all times.

Fearlessly,
JD

The Unthinkable Does Happen!

We speakers can be a crazy bunch!  We prepare like there's no tomorrow, write and re-write presentations, then rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse some more.  To the audiences who sing our praises the work we do on stage seems effortless.  It is far from it but there is a possibility which can chill the blood of even the stoutest of pro presenters...total failure.

Not us, of course!  We know better than that - shoot we're built to stand up to the greatest of stresses.  No, no, no, I'm talking about the total failure of the technology on which we depend - that's the chiller, and why?  Because in many circumstances there is no way to prepare for it, no way to avoid it, no way to remedy it.  When it happens, stick a fork in it...it's done!  And you, my friend may be, too.

Case in point.  February 9, 2013, Shine Conference 2013 in Tampa, Florida.   I was hired to deliver a breakout session on Fearless Living.  In preparation for the opportunity I created an 80 slide presentation on my trusty laptop.  Ahead of me was one hour and fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time with one of my heart's desires - an audience of my very own. 

The ballroom was beautifully equipped with a top of the line LCD projector and a screen right out of my dreams - 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall.  The Electrical Engineer had prepped the mic at the podium and had a separate wireless at my request because of how I like to interact with my audiences.

My audience was comfortably seated at their tables. Behind the podium, the presentation was queued, mics were live, and I was being introduced.  The moment for which I had been preparing was upon me, and the anticipation of the audience was about to be satisfied.  As I stepped to the podium for my opening remarks I gestured to the screen and saw 400 square feet of ... blank.  (for those of you keeping score at home, a blank screen in the first minute of a 75-minute presentation is not an anticipated outcome)

What happened?  For the first time ever, as far as our hosts with the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa knew, the LCD projector's overheat sensor had shut off the machine; the machine housed in a metal frame 30 feet above the lecture hall floor! 

What happened in minutes two to five in my presentation?  I briefed the audience on what we would discuss and began distributing the handouts.  Beginning in minute six?  The show must go on, and it did.  I did my entire presentation - without slides - and kept the audience.   How?

As Speakers we never know when the Unthinkable is going to happen.  All we can do is be prepared.  The Five P's should always be close by - Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.  Remember my blog on The Performance Method?  I conceive all of my presentations and speaking events in my mind then mentally visualize them happening.  Before committing anything to paper, rehearsals are typically underway for at least a week.

80 Slides, not memorized, but known.  75 minutes presented after the Unthinkable happened.  But something else happened as well.  Success...for my audience because I was prepared.  Audiences are the reason we do what we do, and no measure of preparation can be said to be too much when the Outcome defeats the unthinkable.

Fearlessly,
JD